Organized by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS), the Summer IFF 2008 officially kicked off on Monday, August 11, 2008 at 6:45 pm with an Opening Ceremony and Gala Premiere of the Opening Film, Ocean Flame, held at the Grand Cinema at The Elements. Special guests included the producer and cast of Ocean Flame, Mr. Simon Yam, Ms. Monica Mok, Mr. Hai Yitian, and Mr. Him Lo. The organizer highlighted Summer IFF’s record pre-sales, which amounted to 15 full houses, including Ocean Flame, Childhoods, and many more (please refer to What’s New at official website for full list); more full houses are expected throughout this Summer.

An HAF (Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum) project in 2006, Ocean Flame was the winner of the Hubert Bals Fund Award, and was recently shown in the Un Certain Regard of the 61st Cannes Film Festival in May 2008. Based on the novel by well known Chinese writer Wang Shuo, it was an intricate story of love, change and destruction between a criminal and an innocent young woman. It was enthusiastically received in Cannes and impressed many for its daring as a Chinese film.

The HKIFFS Artistic Director, Mr. Li Cheuk-to, believes that director Liu has shown great talents in his directorial debut Green Hat. "He is one of the most promising new directors in China, and it is our great pleasure to bring his latest work to Hong Kong soon after Cannes."

Local actor and first-time producer, Simon Yam, is thrilled to learn that Ocean Flame has been selected as the Opening Film of Summer IFF. "I admire Liu's black humor very much, and I have always wanted to work with him after watching Green Hat. Ocean Flame is about passion, emotional struggle and violence, and the newcomer Monica Mok stunned everyone with her performance which was an absolute delight."

The Summer IFF program consists of 'Summer Pops' and ‘Summer Classics'. 'Summer Pops' offers the coolest hip movies from countries around the world, such as Japan, Korea, France, India, and USA, as well as the latest award-winning films from the Cannes and Berlin Film Festivals, while 'Summer Classics' features indisputable classics by two masters of world cinema who passed away recently, the Swedish Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) and the Japanese Ichikawa Kon (1915-2008).

Ocean Flame Film Synopsis

Wang Yao was a shameless hoodlum and a blackmailer until one day he met a waitress named Lichuan. He thought Lichuan was like any other girls that could be controlled by him, but her stubbornness was way beyond his imagination.

As time goes by, they both lost their soul in the process. Wang Yao lost his freedom, while Lichuan lost her life.

Eight years later, Wang Yao stepped out from jail. He carried a gun and went to look for Lichuan’s mother, wishing to fulfill his own will…

Biography of Liu Fendou

Started to work in film in 1995 and his major works as follow:
1995: screenwriter of “Spicy Love Soup”, “Beautiful New World” and “Shower”
2003: screenwriter and producer of “Spring Subway”
2004: director, screenwriter and producer of “Green Hat” which has won the best film and the best director awards in Tribeca Film Festival in 2004